§ Lord Hogg of Cumbernauldasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether all the passports of offspring of BSE infected or suspect cattle which were under restriction on 21 January have been collected; what steps have been taken to prevent any more offspring being moved while under restriction; and when it expects the backlog of offspring under the cull to be slaughtered. [HL2740]
§ Lord WhittyThere were 659 offspring of BSE infected or suspect cattle in Great Britain under restriction on Monday 21 January 2002, with 44 passports outstanding. But all outstanding passports have now been collected.
Officials wrote on 18 January to all owners of offspring under restriction reminding them that their cattle must not be moved without permission. Farm visits to identify offspring, issue restriction notices and remove passports are again taking place.
We expect that the additional backlog of cases due to foot and mouth disease will have been cleared by 1 April 2002.